With a week off, high school students are spending their time traveling the world, getting prepared for college and working. Some schools are already on spring break, while Springfield District 186 students don’t have their break until mid-April.

Eighteen Sacred Heart-Griffin High students are spending the break in France. The goal is to expand what the teens learned in their French class throughout the year.

“I think we would be going to a lot of museums and important historical locations like the Eiffel Tower to get a better understanding of the culture,” said Ben Thomas, a junior at SHG.

Ben is looking forward to exploring and learning more about the French culture.

Katherine Henebry, also a junior at SHG, said she is “excited to go because I love to travel and I think traveling allows the person to be more cultured and knowledgeable.”

Florida is a popular destination for Springfield-area teens.

Voice writer Emma Hardy is spending her time off in Destin with a friend.

“It is right next to the beach so we get to go to the beach every day. There are also some places where we can go shopping around there,” said Emma, who is a junior at SHG.

This year is Emma’s third travelling to Florida. She’s used to seeing people she knows.

“It depends on which schools are off at the same time and you would get to see a bunch of people you know. Once, a number of schools were off at the same time for spring break and I saw about a dozen people that I know from Springfield,” Emma said.

Staying local

Not all teens can travel during spring break.

Kasey Norman, a senior at Calvary Academy (which began spring break on Monday) is spending her break at home preparing for the Hoogland Center for the Arts’ production of the musical “Shrek,” that opens Friday and continues for five more performances over two weekends. She plays a dragon in the musical.

“The weather is great for a walk or to go play in the tennis courts. There’s also a bike trail, so it’s great if you get your bike and ride along,” she said.

Other teens are looking forward to catching up on sleep, watching TV and gathering with friends. Others may take a day trip to St. Louis or Chicago. Meanwhile, some students are using the time off from school to visit colleges they may choose to attend in the future.

“You just have to be creative and make the most of your time spent to get some thing worthwhile done,” Katherine said.